Minimalist Dream House [9 April 2019, Barbican Hall]

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Featuring Katia & Marielle Labèque, Bryce Dessner and David Chalmin; Works by Steve Reich, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, David Chalmin and a new work by Thom Yorke

Acclaimed pianists, sisters Katia and Marielle Labèque, are renowned for their energetic double act and their passion for minimalist music. In 2013 they released an album entitled Minimalist Dream House, featuring works by minimal music pioneers and their successors.

The Labèques now continue their journey, which started with the album, with a series of live concerts, with the Barbican date also featuring Bryce Dessner (guitar) and David Chalmin (guitar, voice, live-electronic).

Here the sisters and their guests will perform works by American composers Steve Reich, David Lang, Caroline Shaw, Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, French composer David Chalmin and a new work by Radiohead front man Thom Yorke.

Minimalism developed in the USA in the 1960s as a music genre that brought together what had been thought to be incompatible: it was new and experimental, while also being clear, honest and melodious. Through constant repetition, the radically simplified musical language unleashed new energies and soon became influential in genres ranging from krautrock and pop to techno.